Treasured Dreams by Kendall Talbot Read Free Book Online Page A

She fished out a large white dish with gold-trimmed edges.
    â€˜Here, use this dish for the risotto.’
    â€˜Sure. Let me grab it.’ Ginger placed the bowl next to the hotplates, and Rosalina hopped back to the bench. ‘I can finish this if you like. Why don’t you head on upstairs? I’ll bring this up in a sec.’
    â€˜Okay. Thanks.’ Rosalina reached for her crutches and made her way to the stairway. Then, with both crutches hooked under one arm, she used the handrail to hop up the stairs.
    The men were seated at the new bar. Discreet blue lighting filtered from beneath the marble bar top, accentuating the decorative pattern in the stainless-steel sheeting. It was the first time Rosalina had seen it at night, and she was delighted with her choices.
    Archer swivelled on his chair and jumped off to greet her.
    â€˜Hey babe.’ He kissed her cheek, and then pulled out a chair at the head of their new dining table. He lifted the crutches from her and leant them against the railing. From where she sat, she could take in almost all the deck as well as the marina that was lit up like a pretty Christmas parade.
    Within seconds, Jimmy placed a glass of red wine in front of her. ‘Here you go, baby cakes.’
    It’d been a while since Jimmy had called her that nickname, and right now it felt so normal.
    â€˜Thanks, Jimmy. It’s so lovely up here.’ The renovations were almost complete, and it looked like the bar and spa had always been there.
    â€˜We should have done this a long time ago.’ Archer read her own thoughts as he slipped back onto his bar stool and spun towards the back of the yacht.
    Rosalina admired the three polished timber steps leading up to the new spa that was still empty. The high polish on the teak timber reflected the blue lighting. ‘They’ve done such a good job in just two weeks.’
    â€˜That’s what you get when you pay bucket loads of money,’ Alessandro said, and the way he said it made Rosalina glance at him. Neither of them had grown up with the opulent lifestyle they were living on Evangeline , and for the first time she wondered if Alessandro was jealous of Archer’s wealth. Alessandro was prone to jealousy from time to time. He was ever the gentleman, though, and would rarely show the unsavoury emotion.
    â€˜Jimmy and I’ve been helping, too.’ Archer raised his glass at Jimmy.
    â€˜Too right. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we get moving again.’
    Rosalina cocked her head at Archer. ‘Moving? Where are we going?’
    Archer glared at his mate, and Jimmy mouthed, what?
    Archer clenched his jaw and cleared his throat. ‘We were going to discuss it after dinner,’ Archer said. ‘Is it nearly ready?’
    She nodded, but her mind was already chewing over what Jimmy and Archer had been planning. ‘Ginger should be up in a moment.’
    As if on cue, Ginger announced her arrival. ‘Who’s hungry?’
    Rosalina had her back to Ginger, but she could hear the smile in her voice.
    No sooner had Ginger placed the risotto in the centre of the timber tabletop than the three men had slotted into chairs around it. Archer slipped into the booth seat at Rosalina’s right-hand side, and his hand found her leg. He leant over and kissed her cheek, and she could tell he was trying to smooth over Jimmy’s gaff.
    It seemed the boys had a plan, and Jimmy had already blown it.
    â€˜Is Helen joining us?’ Rosalina asked.
    Archer’s mother rarely joined them for dinner. Although she was gradually improving, she was still a long way from escaping the tortured mind that had trapped her for decades.
    Archer squeezed Rosalina’s knee. ‘Not tonight. She was sleeping when I checked in on her.’
    Rosalina wasn’t surprised, but she was always worried about Helen eating enough; the elderly woman was still very thin. Fortunately, since they’d found her